European Horror Movies

A Lonely Place to Die Review

April 28, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2011

Director: Julian Gilbey

Starring: Melissa George, Alec Newman, Ed Speleers, Sean Harris

Summary (from IMDb): A group of mountaineers in the Scottish Highlands discover a kidnapped girl and are pursued by her captors.

My Quick Review: At first, “A lonely place to die” makes you think about other climbing movies such as “Cliffhanger” and the first few minutes with its fabulous cinematography taking full advantages of Scotland’s Highlands are really breathtaking. For much of the film, the action revolves around only a manhunt in nature, with all the obstacles that a mountain set-up implies on top of being chased by two trigger happy guys. Therefore, the first half of the film is fairly conventional, but soon enough, while probably trying too hard to stand out, the film goes in all directions that become almost ridiculous and cluttered with clichés (Serbian war criminal torturer) and improbabilities (the heroine, played by Melissa George, resuming her escape/run just after falling from a cliff through a number of trees).

What remains in mind after the end credits are the beautiful Scottish Highland scenery, the great cinematography and sound effects, but not really the conventional story and cliched characters nor the heroes (we do not feel any emotion or empathy towards them as they get chased and killed).

My Rating: 5/10

Kalevet (Rabies) Review

April 27, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2010

Director: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado

Summary: A group of friends are lost near a forst when they meet a stranger looking for his kidnapped sister. When they decide to help the man, little do they know this will set up a series of unfortunate events.

My Quick Review: I was looking forward to watching Rabies as it seems to be one of the first Horror movie to come out of Israel. At least it is the first one I have ever watched. A Vey low budget (half a million dollars according to IMDb) does not mean Kalevet looks or feels cheap. Directors Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado make the best of their environment ( a forest that hides many traps and dangers) and give a unique dream-like feel to the movie.

Not to spoil the story but there are a lot of nice twists and turns in Kalevet, and those expecting a traditional survivalist slasher might be disappointed. Indeed, the “bad guy” is quickly out of the action and everything that happens to the characters is due to their own actions and decisions.

Of course a lot of times the characters act in the most stupid way (this is a horror movie after all) but we never know what will happen next as the script keeps us on our feet.

Overall a pleasant viewing experience whose only weaknesses lies in some of the actor’s performance and a couple of far fetched events.

My Rating: 6/10

La habitación del niño Review

April 17, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2006

Director: Alex de la Iglesia

Summary: A young couple and a baby moved into their new home, an old house that they decide to renovate. Soon, a stange man will appear at night. Is the house haunted or a doorway to another universe?

My (very) Short Review: La Habitacion del nino is another movie of the Spanish Anthology “Films to keep you awake” and is directed by Alex de la Iglesia, a very prolific director who tried his hands in a lot of genres such as western (800 bullets), horror (accion mutante) or thriller (the perfect crime).

The story revolves around a young couple that is being “visited” at night by a strange man who can only be seen through videocam ( in this case, baby video monitors).

La Habitacion del nino is a good psychological movie with a few good scares and a smart use of video footage. The material never elevates itself to great standard but I still enjoyed it and at 70mn long, you never have time to feel bored.

My Rating: 6/10

Películas para no dormir: Para entrar a vivir Review

April 16, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2006

Director: Jaume Balagueró

Synopsis: A Young couple is forced to stay by a crazy old tenant, in an apartment they were just visiting.

My Short Review: Para Entrar a Vivir is part of the Spanish Anthology “Peliculas para no dormir” and directed by Jaume Balaguero before he went on to write and direct Rec and Rec 2. And it shows. The location (an old abandoned apartment building), the main character (a woman caught into a situation she does not control and/or understand fully), the scare tactics, many things feel like a rehearsal for Rec.

Unfortunately, it is not as good as the famed horror movies. The characters are really acting against any kind of logic (why not kill the crazy woman when they could) and it makes you wonder how a healthy young couple could not put more of a fight against somebody almost twice their age!!

Despite those, the pace is good, it is after all a short movie ( less than 70mn, credits included) and the potential of Jaume Balaguero is fully apparent here. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to work a little scare before going to bed, without having too much time to spend on a full feature film.

My Rating: 5.5/10

Cockneys vs Zombies

April 12, 2013 by Eric S. Leave a Comment

Year: 2012

Director: Matthias Hoene

My Short Review: Used to direct commercials, music videos and webseries, Matthias Hoene, young English director, signs here his first feature film. And he manages to bring into his project veteran actors like Alan Ford (owner of the wicked pigs in “Snatch”) and Honor Blackman (Goldfinger). With Cockneys and Zombies he gives us another good entry into the Horror Comedy Genre. And plenty of british humor that is: mixing elements such as zombies, guns and random “SHAUN OF THE DEAD” hommage, “Cockneys VS ZOMBIES” is definitively a fun ride.

There is something really exhilarating to watch old people shooting down zombies with powerful guns and the movies play out those scenes creatively, especially when a zombie tries to catch an old man who fled with his walker … It’s stupid, filmed with the utmost seriousness and probably the best moment of the film!

Cockneys vs Zombies is a crowd-pleasing feel-good movie that screams for a sequel, that I hope we will have the chance to see.

My Rating: 7/10